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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250190">Christmas With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramrelyat/pseuds/eiramrelyat'>eiramrelyat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Oneshots [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, F/M, Holidays, Mild Sexual Content</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:48:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramrelyat/pseuds/eiramrelyat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Mellark looked up at the sound of his name, and Katniss was momentarily mesmerized by the sapphire hue of his eyes.</p><p>He gave them a crooked smile. "Hello," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "You must be Katniss." </p><p>"Uh, yes..." she said simply.</p><p> </p><p>  <b>Prim invites lonely neighbor Peeta over for Christmas dinner to spend with her and her family... and Katniss wasn't expecting to be so smitten by him.</b></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Oneshots [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2286239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Hunger Games 2020 Season of Hope Holiday Gift Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Christmas With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaOdair/gifts">AmeliaOdair</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'd like to thank Jroseley for editing this, and I hope you all enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> December 1939 </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Katniss hurried down the sidewalk, her skirt swaying against her legs as she moved to avoid patches of ice. She'd forgotten to pick up sweet rolls from the supermarket yesterday for Prim's Christmas dinner, and the only place open on Christmas day was a small bakery on Main Street. Unfortunately, they were only open until noon, and it was six minutes till.</p><p>She hopped over another patch of ice, her heels skidding as she did, nearly bumping into Mr. Abernathy. He gasped out a startled sound, tightening his grip on his briefcase, then he glared down at her from underneath the brim of his hat—his salt and pepper mustache pulling down around his mouth.</p><p>"Watch it, girl! Before you knock someone off their feet," he grumbled.</p><p>"Sorry, mister! I have to make it to the bakery before—"</p><p>"The bakery?" he asked, cutting her off. "Didn't you hear? The owners are home for the holiday."</p><p>Strangely, this didn't surprise her.</p><p>In fact, it was just her luck that the store wouldn't be open when she needed it to be. "Oh, well, that's mighty good for them." She tried to sound like she meant it, but her annoyance must have slipped as she noticed the crinkle between the old man's thick brows deepen. "Thank you, Mr. Abernathy. Enjoy the rest of your holiday."</p><p>"<em> Hmph </em>," he grunted. "I'll have a nice holiday if that sister of yours tells her kids to stop sneaking into my goose house. They've been feeding my geese bread."</p><p>"I'm sure they meant nothing—"</p><p>"They're my geese, and I don't want them eating bread," he told her with a pointed look.</p><p>Katniss held her tongue from saying something she'd regret—it was Christmas, after all. So, she forced a smile and said, "I'll let her know."</p><p>"<em> Hmph </em>," he grunted again and continued walking down the sidewalk.</p><p>Katniss looked back at the bakery. The windows were dark, and a small wooden sign saying 'closed' hung on the front door. Now, what was she going to do? Sweet rolls were her sister's favorite this time of year, so she felt terrible for not grabbing them. But she hoped she could use the excuse that the supermarket was out of them (as it was the only produce store in town).</p><p>Maybe she could bring those yams that needed to be eaten from her pantry...</p><p>Five minutes before heading to Prim's, she decided against the yams. Instead, she grabbed the chocolate cake she'd been saving in the refrigerator, and hurried out the door. </p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>Her legs were freezing by the time she made it up the front steps of her sister's house—the wool stockings did very little to block out the cold. She knocked twice, then the sound of Posy's voice carried through from inside the house.</p><p>"I've got it!"</p><p>A second later, the door opened, and a beaming Posy greeted her from the other side. The delicious aroma of ham and glazed greens wafted out into the crisp air, making her mouth water. Posy's grey eyes shone bright and playful when she saw the box in Katniss's hands. "That doesn't look like sweet rolls."</p><p>"I've been busy grading papers," Katniss huffed, her breath curling in the air.</p><p>Posy shrugged, making her dark cropped hair touch the tops of her shoulders. "I'm not the one that has to deal with her pregnant sister." Katniss glanced down at the cake box in her hands, trying to remember if Prim ever craved chocolate when she was pregnant with Lily and Theo... Posy laughed at her expense and held the door open wider, motioning her inside. "Come on, she's helping momma cook."</p><p>She heard giggling as they neared the doorway to the living room, and Katniss peeked her head into the doorway, ready to call out Lily and Theo's names. But she stopped short when she found them playing a game of cards in the middle of the living room floor with a man she'd never met before—a very handsome man, she decided after more observation.</p><p>"Go fish!" Lily told him happily, a giant smile spreading across her round face. When Lily stole one of his cards, he released a velvety laugh that seemed to wrap around Katniss and warmed her down to the very core.</p><p>"Oh!" Posy exclaimed, noticing where she was staring. "That's Mr. Mellark from across the street." Mr. Mellark looked up at the sound of his name, and Katniss was momentarily mesmerized by the sapphire hue of his eyes.</p><p>He gave them a crooked smile. "Hello," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "You must be Katniss." </p><p>"Uh, yes..." she said simply.</p><p>The twins looked over and came bounding up to her, "Aunt Katniss!" Little arms wrapped around her legs, almost knocking her over. "What took you s'long?" Lily asked.</p><p>"I came as fast as my legs would carry me," she told them.</p><p>"That's okay. Mr. Mellark was teaching us a new game of cards," Theo said.</p><p>Katniss glanced up to find Mr. Mellark fixing the cards on the floor. "Uh, why don't you two finish playing? I have to bring this to the fridge."</p><p>"What is it?" Lily asked, starting to lift the lid to the cake box.</p><p>Katniss laughed, pulling it away from her niece's nosy fingers. "Only children that listen get to find out." Lily and Theo huffed and went back into the living room.</p><p>She followed Posy into the kitchen, where they found Prim stirring a wooden spoon in a pot over the stove. Hazelle sat at the breakfast table, snapping the ends off green beans, and quietly hummed to the music on the radio. Prim looked up when she heard Katniss's heels click against the tile, her ruby red lips pulling into a smile.</p><p>"You made it! I thought you might've gotten lost in the snow."</p><p>Katniss cut right to the chase. "Prim, you invited a stranger over to your house?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down so their guest in the living room couldn't hear their conversation.</p><p>Her sister rolled her eyes and whisked some sugar into the pot of boiling cranberries. "He's my guest, Katniss, and I hope you will treat him well."</p><p>"Prim, you don't even know the man."</p><p>"I know a bit," she said. "The women after church are quite the clucking hens, especially if an eligible bachelor is involved. His family owns the farm out near the Cartwrights, and—" Prim paused, lowering her voice. "Well, they aren't friendly folk, so I decided he could celebrate the evening with us. Besides, he's keeping the kids entertained and out of the kitchen while Rory..." She trailed off, and Katniss knew she was thinking about the war again.</p><p>Katniss reached across the counter to grab her sister's hand, squeezing it gently. "You don't have to talk about it." She decided she'd drop the subject for now and lecture her later about inviting random people into her home.</p><p>Prim smiled. "Thank you."</p><p>"Also, I didn't grab any sweet rolls, but I brought some cake... uh, chocolate cake," she added at the end as she set the box down on the counter.</p><p>"Don't worry about the rolls. Mr. Mellark offered to make some," Prim said before turning back to the steaming pot.</p><p>It seemed Mr. Mellark was not only handsome but generous too.</p><p>"Uh...and I ran into your delightful neighbor, Mr. Abernathy, by the way. He was in quite the mood today."</p><p>Hazelle shook her head, looking up from her bowl of green beans to give Katniss a kind smile. "Pay him no mind, dear," she said. "He's bitter to everyone except those birds of his."</p><p>"Maybe he needs a sweetheart," Posy suggested. "He seems to be really sweet on Miss Trinket from school."</p><p>"And how do you know this?" Hazelle asked.</p><p>"Well, I saw them when I was with—" Posy stopped, blushing furiously. "Uh... I meant when I was walking home from school." Hazelle gave her daughter a skeptical look but asked nothing further.</p><p>The kitchen fell silent until Prim spoke up again. "Well, let's set up the table."</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>"So what do you do, Mr. Mellark?" Katniss asked as she pierced a piece of ham with her fork.</p><p>"I work at the university as a history professor," he said with a smile. "And Prim tells me you're a first-grade teacher?"</p><p>She flushed, wondering when her sister ever had the time to tell him about her life. "Uh, yes."</p><p>"She's our teacher," Theo said with a mouthful of mashed potatoes.</p><p>"Theo, we don't talk with our mouth full," Prim scolded.</p><p>He looked down at his plate sheepishly. "Sorry, mama."</p><p>"Miss Everdeen is everyone's favorite at school," Lily added. And Katniss was about to call her out for fibbing, but Mr. Mellark spoke up first.</p><p>"Is that so?" he asked. Her cheeks felt warm as he watched her, waiting for her to answer his question.</p><p>She swallowed her mouthful of mush, before finally answering with, "they only say that, because I'm their aunt."</p><p>"But Mr. Mattews said you were mighty pretty, aunt Katniss," Lily said. "I heard him." Katniss's mouth hung open; she didn't realize her niece and nephew were so set on seeing her turn into a blushing puddle.</p><p>"<em> Ahem </em>... thank you Lily, but I don't think that's what Mr. Mellark was asking," Katniss said, avoiding the pair of blue eyes across the table. Prim and Hazelle snickered, and Katniss couldn't help but feel that they set her up to this...</p><p>After their bellies were full and the dishes were clean, Katniss announced that she was going to head home. She felt pretty tired after grading papers late last night.</p><p>Mr. Mellark stood up from the couch, stretching out his legs. "I can accompany you," he suggested.</p><p>Katniss bulked at the idea. "Oh, I, uh, I can't ask you to do that, Mr. Mellark. I live three blocks away, and it's cold."</p><p>He shrugged. "I could use it. I think I need to walk off all of the delicious food we ate." Katniss didn't think he looked like he needed to walk anything off. In fact, she could make out how fit he was underneath his navy dress shirt, and Katniss blushed when he'd caught her openly eyeing him. But all he did was give her a charming smile.</p><p>"Okay," she relented.</p><p>They had their jackets on and were ready to leave when Theo called out to Mr. Mellark from the hallway. "Wait!" Theo came running into the room with a small box in his hands. "My papa gave me this box of cards, but I think you need it more so you can practice playing Go Fish."</p><p>Katniss tried to bite back her smile as Mr. Mellark bent down to accept the cards.</p><p>"You know, I think your papa might like it if you keep those cards," he told Theo, folding the deck back into the little boy's hands. "I'll buy a pack and practice." For some reason, their exchange made her heart flutter, and she looked away before she said something foolish.</p><p>The walk to her house is quiet, aside from the snow crunching under their shoes. She wanted to thank Mr. Mellark for being so good with the twins, but she didn't know how to say it without sounding like she was a besotted schoolgirl...</p><p>She cleared her throat. "You were great with Lilly and young Theo, Mr. Mellark. It's been hard since... well since their father left."</p><p>He smiled. "They're good kids, and you know I wouldn't mind if you called me Peeta. Not even my students call me Mr. Mellark."</p><p>Katniss blushed. "Okay... Peeta."</p><p>They came up to a street crossing, and Peeta kindly offered her his arm so she wouldn't slip on the icy concrete. Katniss gave him a shy smile, before wrapping her hand in his elbow. He was warm compared to the icy air around them, and it took everything not to lean into him. She thought it'd be inappropriate when they weren't courting.</p><p>After they crossed the second street, Peeta spoke up again. "I apologize if it seemed like I was barging in on your holiday." He glanced down at her. "Prim was insistent, you know."</p><p>She laughed at that, imagining her pregnant sister not taking no for an answer. "I guess I was a little surprised."</p><p>"Well, hopefully, I made for good company, at least."</p><p>Katniss tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I suppose you did." They reached the sidewalk that led up to her house, and she stopped. "Well, this is it," she said.</p><p>He looked up at her house and then back the way they came. "That felt shorter than three blocks."</p><p>She shrugged her shoulders, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Maybe I keep good company."</p><p>Peeta chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was kind of hoping it'd take longer."</p><p>This made her stomach flutter. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're trying to court me, Peeta."</p><p>For the first time that night, his confidence seemed to sway. A cool pink spread up his neck and swelled in his cheeks. "And if I am?"</p><p>More flutters bounced around, but this time they were in her chest. "I'd tell you I wouldn't mind hearing more about it on Saturday at six."</p><p>His lips split into a wide grin. "Okay. Saturday it is."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> December 1941 </em>
</p><p> </p><p>They fell in love rather quickly that first year, and she found loving Peeta was the easiest thing she'd ever done.</p><p>She said yes when he proposed at Christmas, then they married in the spring—a small wedding that hosted ten guests. His eldest brother and his father attended but only stayed for the ceremony. That was fine with Katniss, as Peeta was the one that cared if his family came or not.</p><p>Katniss could never forgive that Peeta's brothers and father always excused his mother's wicked behavior, even Peeta was guilty of it from time to time. But Peeta still wanted them in his life—Katniss couldn't fathom why. If it was up to her, she'd never give them the time of day. However, she respected Peeta's wishes and stuck with scowling at them instead.</p><p>It was the maximum amount of civility she was willing to offer them.</p><p>Months after their wedding, they easily fell into married life. Peeta started a new job at the high school as a history teacher, a job that he quickly enjoyed. Katniss benefited from it too. She loved that they could walk to work together, and sometimes her first graders would giggle on the playground when Peeta gave her a kiss before he left. She'd have to shoo them into the building for class, the group still giggling, and she'd blush a shade of crimson as she heard Peeta chuckling behind her.</p><p>Everything was going well for them until a crisp, white envelope arrived in their mailbox addressed to Peeta. When he opened it and read the letter inside aloud, it felt like the ground had opened up beneath her as the words 'war effort' floated between them.</p><p>That was their first fight as a married couple, even though he had zero faults in the situation. But it was easier to get mad at him instead of telling him it wasn't fair like a petulant child.</p><p>He ran a hand through his hair out of frustration, mussing up his neat curls. "What do you want me to do, Katniss?" Peeta asked.</p><p>Without answering, she stormed out of the room and locked herself in their bathroom for the rest of the evening, sitting in the tub until she had to add more warm water from the tap. Peeta came in an hour before bed. He didn't say anything as he stripped down and slipped into the tub behind her. His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly against his chest and he whispered sweet nothings into her hair.</p><p>After their skin turned pruney, Peeta helped her out of the tub and carried her to their bedroom. But they didn't sleep—they were too restless for sleep. Words didn't pass between them either, though Peeta knew what she needed when she bit her lip and looked up at him through her lashes.</p><p>He moved to nestle himself between her parted thighs, and Katniss tossed her head back as he sunk into her slowly. Nothing but the sound of labored breaths and the bedframe shifting filled their small room. They made love twice that night until either of them was too tired to keep their eyes open.</p><p>"I love you," he whispered into her hair afterward. Sleep slightly garbled his words, but she heard them and returned the words with the press of her lips against the tops of his knuckles.</p><p>~~~~~</p><p>The days dragged on until December, and they tried to make the best of it. They celebrated Thanksgiving and read the letters sent from Gale and Rory. She almost—<em> almost </em>—forgot amid the busy holiday months that they'll be doing the same thing with Peeta's letters a year from now.</p><p>The night before he left, they lay in bed, both of them unable to sleep. Tension and unspoken words filled their room as the clock ticked away the hours leading up to Peeta's departure. He smoothed his thumb over her wedding band, and the movement was so hypnotic that she felt her eyes droop. But Peeta spoke up, cutting through the weariness. "If I don't𑁋"</p><p>She quieted him by squeezing his hand, already knowing and fearing what he was about to say. "Just... be here with me, okay?"</p><p>Peeta nodded, burying his face into the crook of her neck. They lay like that until the sun came up, and the alarm clock on the nightstand disturbed the silence in the room.</p><p>Katniss yawned on the drive to the train station, tired from lack of sleep and Peeta's thumb rubbing soothing circles into her hand. At the station, it surprised her when she saw that they weren't the only family there. In fact, she recognized a few of Peeta's students that graduated last year. She also saw Delly and her husband Thom sharing an intimate display on the platform that Katniss turned away from—it felt like she was imposing on a private moment.</p><p>She couldn't let go of Peeta's hand as they walked past the train cars, and she knew that Peeta was only buying them more time by choosing the train car at the very end.</p><p>He turned to her as the train whistle rang through the station, dropping his bag to the ground to crush his mouth against hers. The kiss was frantic, and she gripped his wrists for something to hold on to. When they pulled away, gasping for air, she told him, "come back to me, okay?"</p><p>She said this because she couldn't say goodbye—the word stayed lodged in her throat.</p><p>Peeta kissed her nose. "Okay." She knew he didn't know if he'd be able to keep his promise, but she clung to that word as she watched him board the train.</p><p>A month later, she fell terribly ill after smelling a batch of cooked eggs during breakfast at Prim's. Hazelle held her hair back as she emptied her stomach into the toilet for the third morning in a row. And After Katniss had finished wiping her mouth, Hazelle gave her a knowing smile.</p><p>"Why are you smiling at an ill woman's expense?" Katniss grumbled.</p><p>The older woman shook her head, her smile growing. "I don't think you're sick, dear. I think you're pregnant."</p><p>This was how she found out that she and Peeta were expecting their first. After her doctor's appointment, she immediately wrote about the wonderful news in a letter for Peeta. Her first letter from Peeta arrived a few months after that, and she read it five times to memorize the way he'd squiggle his T's and merge his M's. She had smiled when she reached the line where he assumed their baby was a girl because he <em>just knew</em>.</p><p><em> I hope she has your hair and eyes, then we'd have the most beautiful baby in the world</em>, he continued to say further down the letter.</p><p>She stored the letter on the desk in the office for safekeeping, then she grabbed her favorite pen and started writing.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> December 1943 </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Letters from Peeta grew fewer and farther in between as the war stagnated. But Katniss now had their daughter to keep her distracted. She was born in the fall with a head full of dark hair and Peeta's sapphire blue eyes.</p><p>After seeing Peeta had circled Willow's name in a baby book, she fell in love with it and didn't think twice when the midwife asked if she had a name picked out.</p><p>The first year with Willow was challenging, especially doing it by herself. Although, she was thankful for Prim and Hazelle, who offered their aid and experience often. Even Posy would volunteer to babysit when Katniss had to work extra late or needed a break.</p><p>She was not sure what she would have done without them.</p><p>Time flew by after Willow turned one, the "fun stage" Prim had told her. But now she had an active toddler to chase around the house who loved to get into everything—truly everything. Katniss had to store things in higher places in case Willow grabbed something while she wasn't paying attention. Though her daughter always seemed to find a way.</p><p>Around Willow's second Christmas, she started to walk. Katniss could no longer leave schoolwork on end tables or keep books on the last three shelves of the bookcase. Her office was looking a mess these days after the number of books she'd stored there. However, now that Willow was walking, she seemed to tire herself out faster, which gave Katniss more time to pick up the house during bedtime. </p><p>One night, Katniss was folding laundry in her room when she heard heavy footsteps on the front porch. Slightly terrified that someone was trying to break in, Katniss rushed downstairs to the door to look through the small peephole. Her stomach swooped when she saw who it was, and she pulled open the front door to Peeta standing on the other side in his military uniform. There was a cane in his right hand, and he leaned on it as he took off his hat.</p><p>Her eyes ran over every part of him, from his short-cropped hair to his thinner frame. He looked different, but she imagined she did too after a few years apart.</p><p>Peeta cleared his throat, drawing her gaze back up to his face. "I, um, I'm𑁋"</p><p>She didn't let him finish before leaning up on her toes to crush her mouth against his. He wrapped his arm around her, and Peeta held her close until she felt his shoulders shake with quiet sobs.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> December 1944 - 1945</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Peeta would wake up from terrible nightmares the first six months, and often, he grew very distant to where it almost didn't feel like they were living under the same roof. Sometimes she'd wake in the middle of the night to an empty bed, and she'd find him rocking Willow back to sleep in the nursery. He'd whisper things that Katniss only got bits and pieces of.</p><p>"You're safe... no one will hurt you..."</p><p>She knew it comforted him, so she'd walk back to their room and wait for him to come to bed.</p><p>After the eighth month of nightmares and late-night visits to Willow's room, Peeta finally went to a doctor who helped him talk about his fears from the war. He slowly returned to himself, but Katniss knew he'd never return to the man she knew before... and she learned to accept this because she was happy that he was home.</p><p>He started walking with her to work again, though it was hard for him some days because of his cane. He'd also come up behind her while she played the piano, placing a kiss against the back of her neck, then he'd sit in his chair and quietly listen.</p><p>She noticed Peeta was slowly doing all the things he used to do, and she let him do them at his own pace. He did a few new things too, like jotting down a list of all his friends' names in a journal. He showed it to her one evening after dinner, and she listened to the stories of men she'll never get to know.</p><p>But she noticed that it helped him to talk about those that he'd lost.</p><p>As he steadily progressed with his therapy, they started being intimate in bed again, and Katniss had never been so nervous as she stood between Peeta's parted knees. Her body had changed a lot since she had Willow; stretch marks covered the sides of her breasts and lower abdomen. But Peeta's eyes only grew darker as she pulled her sleep dress over her head and let it flutter to the floor at their feet.</p><p>He pulled her into his lap, placing kisses against her breasts and collarbones. "You're beautiful," he told her as she sank down onto him.</p><p>His name fell from her lips in a breathy gasp as she tried to adjust to being stretched. Peeta muffled a low groan into her skin, and his hands guided her hips against his. It didn't take long for the heat to coil in her stomach and spring free. Her toes curled, and she threw her head back with a high-pitched moan. Peeta followed her, bucking his hips up into hers until he grunted her name.</p><p>They fell back against the mattress, still tangled around each other. Peeta brushed her sweaty hair out of her face, stopping to run his thumb over the top of her cheek.</p><p>"You love me, real or not real?" he asked softly.</p><p>It was an exercise that he started practicing with his therapist to differentiate reality from his nightmares. He'd ask her these questions when he felt his certainty slipping, so Katniss readily told him, "real."</p><p>She kissed the tip of his nose and watched as his eyes fluttered close—the snowflakes outside their bedroom window casting a flurry of shadows onto his face. In the distance, she could hear the church bells ringing, and Katniss leaned her head against his chest.</p><p>"Merry Christmas, Peeta."</p><p>He smiled against her forehead, a real genuine smile, and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Katniss."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading:)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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